The silent victims

Violence perpetuated by the terrorists is immensely traumatic for women.

ARE women really those venerated creatures whom men respect and worship universally? Unfortunnlely, one has to admit that this is not entirely true. Everytime, in every place we see someone’s daughter, sister or mother is being harassed, humiliated or tortured, be it a target of some family feud, rivalry or terrorism. Why? Only because of their ‘fairer’, or as some call  it ‘weaker’sex!

This attitude holds good at every place, and especially in North-East and Jammu & Kashmir, where women have to fight one greater evil than their sisters elsewhere — “the evil of terrorism”. Facts and statistics endorse the view that women and children are the worst sufferers under these tense circumstances. Not only are they constantly under the deadly spectre of losing their loved ones, be it a father, brother, husband or son, to the volley of bullets’ of either the militants or the security forces, but have to also fend for themselves in this harsh world.

Incidents’ of senseless violence perpetuated by the terrorists are immensely traumatic for this section of the society, and leaves deep scars on their psyche. Psychologists who analyzed the aftermath of Dhemaji blast in Assam, or more recently, the Beslan tragedy in Russia which re-confirm the detrimental effects of such barbaric incidents’ on this section of society.

At times, they loose their near and dear ones very early in life,    and the rest of their lives goes just in struggling to survive the unkind and bitter jibes of the rather mean and cruel world. They have no   hope or succor of better times to come, just the harsh reality of survival. They often have to adopt the role of the guardian and bread earner of the family, and bring up their orphan children themselves single-handedly.

Sometimes, especially when they become the sole bread-earner, they have to take the responsibility of supporting the old and infirm parents of their beloved husband —a victim of bombs and bullets. Also, in our society, they have to face the humiliating trauma of sexual harassment in everyday life.

Somehow we are still not convinced in accepting her as   being self-reliant and confident. We still think of them as mere objects, which are to be conquered on a victory, or to unleash our vendetta or vengance to deliver a   humiliating defeat on their menfolk, who dare to raise their voices against the oppressors.

Times are changing and society’s attitude towards women is also changing, but at an extremely slow pace. Even today, ask those who have suffered and you will hear heartbreaking stories of terror, turmoil and trauma. In strife-torn areas, sagas of sheer will power, grit and determination are a necessity just for mere survival, leave alone any other objective.

Unfortunately, the dichotomy of all these is, no woman likes, or advocates violence, because by nature, her role is that of a creator and not a destroyer. Insurgency has destroyed all that and she doesn’t get a halo of a martyr or patriot, just the title of a pitiable and vulnerable woman. A woman who is a mute spectator, because her voice has long ago been taken away by ‘man’. Its the same man who came into her life as a protector and provider, somewhere down the line become a destroyer, and today, he remains in her life as a symbol of grief, oppression and devastation.

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